Tobacco-stemming machine.



J. O. MORRIS.

' TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULYB, 190a. RENEWED OCT.24, 1911.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914-.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

attoznu J. O, MORRIS.

TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 8, 1908. RENEWED001224.1911.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

4 8HEETS-SHEBT 2.

J. 0. MORRIS. TOBACCO STBMMING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION nun JULY a, 1908. RENEWED 00124, m1. 1 ()87 039 PatentedFeb. 10, 1914.

' 4 SHEETS-BHEET a.

W Ewe w a I HIHHW I J. 0. MORRIS.

TOBAOGO STEMMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY a, 1908. RENEWED 00124, 1911.

1,087,039, I Patented Feb. 10,19

4 SHEETS-31131 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN O. MORRIS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE,.MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 8, 1908, Serial No. 442,537. Renewed October-24,1911. Serial No. 656,524.

To all whom it may concern) Be it known that L-Jorm -O. MORRIS, a.citizen ofthe United States, residing at Washington, in the District ofColumbia, have invented certain new and u'sefulLImprovements inTobacco-Stemming Machines, of which the following is'a specification,reference being had therein tothe accompany to some details to whichreference will be hereinafter made. i

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a side elevation of a machinewhich embodies my invention. Fig. 2, is an enlarged erspective view ofthe stripping device and its immediate cooperating devices. Fig. 3, isan enlarged sectional view taken transverse the stripping roll. Fig. 4,is an enlarged side elevation of the stripping rolls and theircooperating devices. Fig. -5, is a sectional view through one end of thestripping rolls. Fig. 6, is a detailed perspective view of the upperstripped leaf comb. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the positionof the stripping rolls and the stripped leaf combs just priorto theentrance of the leaf to be stripped. Fig. 8, is a diagrammatic view ofthe stripping rolls showing them separated to permit the passage of theleaf-holder or grip. Fig. 9, is a diagrammatic view showing the positionof the stripping rolls and of the leaf stem with a portion of the bladeof the leaf removed. Fig. 10, is a diagrammaticview, showin the positionof the stripping rolls and of the leaf stem after the stem is stripped,the position of the combs andof the stripped 'blade portions of theleaf. Fig. 11, is a diagrammatic view showing the position of thestripping rolls, and the combs after the clearance movement of thecombs, and the stripped blade portions'being removed by a blastof air. a

17. I The drawings Referring now. to the drawings, 1 is a suitable framework in whichthe mechanism is mounted, and 2 is a suitable drive shaft.This drive shaft isoperatively connected with a shaft ,3 through themedium of a chain 4 and a sprocket wheel 5. This shaft 7 extends acrossthe machine and carries at' its opposite end a sprocket wheel similar tothe sprocket wheel 6. A gear wheel 7 meshes with a gear wheel 8, wherebythe shaft 9, to which the gear wheel 8 is attached, is also PatentedFeb. 10, 1914.

rotated.- Passing around the sprocket wheels 6 and 10 are-suitablesprocket chains 12 and these also pass around sprocket wheels 13 and 14located at the opposite endof the machine. Suitable grippers 15comprising upper jaws a and lower jaws b are carried by these sprocketchains 12, in a manner well known to those skilled in this art, andthese grippers grip the butt ends of the leaf stems and carry them tothe stripping rolls 16 and v machine in plan view, but it will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art, .that

do not illustrate thethe shafts 3, 9, and 25 extend-horizontally acrossthe machine, and carry at their opposite ends sprocket wheelscorresponding with the sprocket wheels 6, 8, 13 and 14, and that thegripper jaws a and I) also extend across the machine and have their 0posite ends connected with the chains, and urther illustration is deemedunnecessary. As shown, these stripping rolls are arranged one above theother, and each comprises a plurality of closely-assembled strippingteeth 18 which" are preferably yielding. The'leaves to be stripped aregripped by these and carried to the stripping ro s, as illusrippers 15ii trated in Figs.'7 to 10 inclusive. When the gripper is about to enterbetween the stripping rolls, the upper stripping roll 16 is elevated, asshown in Fig. 8, by means of cams 19, which are attached to oppositeends of a shaft 20. These cams engage suitable rolls 21 whichare uponthe opposite ends of the shaft 22 of the upper strippingv roll 16. Assoon as the gripper passes the center line of the stripping roll therollers 21 drop behind .the cam 19, and the stripping'roll assumes theositipn shown in Figs. 7 9 and 10. The sha 20 1s a stub-shaft, onelocated at each side of the machine, and they are rotated in Thestripping rolls 16 and 17 held stationary or substantially so, duringthe stripping operation, but after the stripp' 3 operation it isnecessary to impart to them a backward stripping movement to thestripped blade portions from the sin ping rolls, and this is effected byprovid the shaft 22 of the upper stripping roll n a loose pinion 27, andwith a ratchet who .i 28 which is fast to the shaft 22. A suit. plate ormember 29 is attached to the pi 27, and this plate carrieis' a pawl 30aria to engage the ratchet wheel 28. A raclr in 31 engages the pinion 27for the pin, rotating it, and this rack bar is actu back and forth inthe manner to be pro s. described. From this description v i. observedthat the pinion 27 is permittc rotate free of the shaft 22 in one direcbut in the opposite direction the pawl ratchet just described will causethe sh to be rotated a distance controlled y movement of the rack bar31. l

J sin mechanism is arranged on the shaft the lower stripping roll 17,but in this instance the pinion 27 is located outside of the ratchet28', and the arm or plate and pawl 30 are arranged "a cooperate asdescribed in connection with the shaft of the upper stripping roll. Arack bar 31 likewise adapted to'engage the pinion 27 and to cause it torotate. llhesc raclc bas 31. and 31' are connected to opposite ends anintermediately pivoted lever 32, and this lever is oscillated throughthe medium 40 pivoted ratchet arm 33, one end of which is connected withthe upper end of the lever 32,

and the other end has a hooh o4- adapted U) be engaged by a pin 35 thatprojects from udisk or wheel 36. The disk or wheel caused to rotate bymeans of a sor chain 37 which passes around a SPIOCliOt O on the shaft3, and around the sprocket i 2 which is connected with the dish or 'wbe36. When the pin 35 engages the heel; ad: the lever 32 is oscillated andthe upper and lower stripping rolls 16 and 1'? given a rotary movementin the direction indicated by arrows in Fig. 3. This movement serves topartially throw out the stripped blade portions of the leaf. A spring 40returns the operating parts to the position shown in Fig. 1, but theirreturn movement does not rotate the strippingrolls because when drawnback the ratchcts, before described, permit the pinions to rotate freeof their shafts. I

For the purpose of insuring the comp: removal of the stripped blade pn'tions of the leaf, I provide an upper comb ell and :2 lower comb Thesecombs comprise a if irality of teeth which project into the sti'lppll'lgteeth, as shown in Fig. 2, when the stripping rolls a "c given theirclearance movement. After the clearance movement the stripping rolls,which throws the stripped leaf portion backward, the combs ironluicln'vzml movement into the position shown in F ll, which throws theied leaf portion: into the position ll, and they are then coin from taestripping rolls and blown away by a blast from a suitable unplisncdfollows: it lever 45 is inw mediately pivoted t the point 46, and

cs its lower a roller 47 which is nted to be paged by the cam 19 and:illated. The upper of this lever 45 "c idcd with a slot 48 in which apin this is carried by a which on "he end of a shaft 51, causes the shat 51 to be oscillated en the lever is oscillated, and causes upper comit to be moved outward. lower co in 42 is moved outward by means of achain 52 which. passes around a sprocket 3 on. th end of the shaft 54 ofthe lower comb he upper end of this chain 52 is connected with a halfcircle plate 55, and its lower end is connected with a suitable spring56. scraper or shield 57 cooperates with the outer side of the lowercomb 4-2, as shown in Fig. 11, and st vcs to remove any adheringstripped blade portions therefrom. It is, desirable to have the lowercomb 42 to move farther "ban the upper comb, and this is accomplisbcd bya sleeve and a slot and pin coi'mcct-ion which permits the shaft 51 tobe moved in ad *ance of the n'mvcment of the upper comb ll, but impartsa positive n" out to the lower comb 42. A spring its lower and connectedto the frame a machine, and its upper and connected with crank-arm 6 lon the end of the upper comb-shaft, and serves to hold the comb allyinto the stripping teeth.

I find, by actual practice, that by holding ll-1e stripping rollssubstantially against rotation, or substantially stationary during thestripping movement, that I am enabled to effectively remove the leafblades from the stem without injury thereto, and to expeditiously andeffectively strip all of the nmycnicnt of the rolls and the leaf holder,

and that there is not to be any n'niterial rotary stripping movement ofthe rolls. I

desire it to also be understood that it may be possible to impart to therolls a very slow rotary movement in a direction opposite to thedirection of the strippin movement without materially departing rom thespirit and scope of my invention, though the best results areaccomplished by holding the rolls against any rotary movement whateverduring the stripping action, and the claims hereto appended. are tobe-construed in the light of this explanation.

The means here shown for holding the rolls aga nst rotation comprisesthe bars 31,

31, and the ratchets and pinions which are on the roll shafts, togetherwith the mechanism which is connected with the rack bars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. A tobacco stemming machine having a stripping device comprising aroll having an annulus consisting of peripherally-an the stripping teethto overlap, means for holding the rolls stationary for strippingpurposes, a leaf holder, and means for imparting a relative strippingmovement. to the rolls and holder while the rolls are stat-ionary.

3. A tobacco stemming machine having a stripping device comprising aroll provided with a plurality of peripherally-arrangedclosely-assembled radially-extending stripping teeth attached thereto,means for holding the roll stationary for stripping purposes, a leafholder, means for imparting a relative stripping movement to the rolland 'holder in a""direction transverse the teeth while'the roll isstationary, and means for imparting a backward clearance rotation afterthe stripping movement is completed.

4. A tobacco stemming machine having a stripping, device consisting oftwo parallel rolls, each roll having an annulus consisting of aplurality of closely-assembled peripherallyarranged stripping teethattached thereto, the rolls arranged to have their teeth overlap, a leafholder, means for imparting a relative stripping movement to the rollsand the leaf holder in a direction between the rolls, means for holdingthe rolls against rotation during the stripping movement, and means forimparting to the rolls a backward rotary clearance movement after thestripping movement is completed.

A tobacco stemmer having a stripping device comprisin a member providedwith a plurality of c osely-assembled strippin teeth, a leaf holder,means imparting a re ative stripping movement to the member and leafholder, a comb entering the teeth of the member adjacent the strippingpoint, means forholding the member against movement during the strippingaction, and means for imparting a backward movement to the member andabackward movement to the comb after the stripping action is completed6. A tobacco stemmer having a stripping device consisting of two memberseach having a plurality of closely-assembled stripping teeth, themembers arranged parallel and with the ends of the teeth overlapping,

a leaf holder, means imparting a relative stripping movement to themembers and the holder in a direction transverse the teeth and betweenthe'members, means for holding the members against movement during thestripping action, a downwardly-projecting comb for the upper memberhaving its teeth normally extending into the stripping teeth, anupwardly-projecting comb for the lower member having its teeth normallyprojecting into the stripping teeth of the lower member, and meansimparting to the members a backward clearance movement, and

to the combs a backward clearance movement after the stripping movementis completed.

7. A tobacco stemming machine having a stripping device consisting oftwo members each provided with a plurality of closelyassembled strippingteeth, 'a leaf holder,

means imparting a relative stripping move: ment to the members andholder, a downwardly projecting comb for the upper member having itsteeth normally projecting into the teeth of the upper member, an upmallyprojecting into the stripping teeth of the lower member, a scraperengaging the wardly-extending comb having its teeth norouter side of'thelower comb, 'and means imparting to the members a backward clearancemovement and to the combs an out ward clearance movement after thestripping movement is completed.

8. A tobacco stemming machine having a stripping device, comprising acurved surface having closely assembled radially extending strippingteeth, the curved surface receding from the stripping plane at. oppositesides of the stripping point, a leaf holder, means for holding the cured stripping surface against rotation during t e stripping operation,and means for impart- Ellie ing a relative stripping movement to theieaf holder and the curved stripping surface in a direction transversethe stripping teeth.

9. A. tobacco stemming machine comprismg; toothed, stripping means, aleaf holder,

means for moving same relatively to said stripping means, a movablymounted comb arranged in one position to engage the teeth of saidstripping means and in another position to clear said teeth, and meansfor movin said comb from one such posit-ion to another.

10. A tobacco stemming machine comprising toothed stripping means, aleaf holder,

JOHN O. MORRIS.

itnesses JOHN L. FLETCHER, CHAS. P. WRIGHT, Jr.

